


Blue Jay

by Akiko_Natsuko



Series: Flights of Fancy -R76 [1]
Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wings, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, M/M, Mating Bites, Trust, Wingfic, Wings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-20
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-07-30 01:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276040
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiko_Natsuko/pseuds/Akiko_Natsuko
Summary: Jack's world is being consumed with blue, the blue of the Strike Commander's uniform and the unwanted status of being a Blue Jay, but there's still one person who still sees him as just Jack.





	Blue Jay

    Jack was being watched again. It was a common occurrence these days, the brilliant blue of the Strike Commander’s uniform and everything it entailed drew attention wherever he went. He had never been a fan of being stared at for many reasons, and this was a form of attention that he was coming to hate, especially because he knew that it wasn’t that blue which people were waiting to see. It was the softer blue hidden beneath, currently tucked away safely under his skin. Even as a child he’d known that his wings stood out from everyone else’s, that they were different, but it hadn’t been until he was adult that he had realised that it wasn’t a good thing or that his family had kept him far more sheltered than he’d ever realised.

    He shifted uneasily, a crawling sensation settling under the skin on his shoulders, wings itching to be released and the temptation to let them out, to wrap himself up inside them and hide from the stares, the murmurs, and the hungry desire in the ever-watchful eyes were overwhelming. However, he knew that the moment he gave into the temptation he would lose whatever power he held as Strike Commander and be reduced to nothing more than a pretty, little Blue jay trapped in a cage of his own making. _I hate this…_ he thought with a level of bitterness that stunned him, biting the inside of his cheek to stop himself from screaming out his frustration.

   In sheer desperation, he glanced up, risking the stares to seek out the one pair of eyes that he didn’t mind being fixed on him. That he wanted fixed on him. Gabriel was stood at the back of the room, wary even in a room full of people that they were supposed to be able to ‘trust’, but Jack knew that wasn’t the main reason for him taking that position, standing there just out of the line of sight of most of the people in the room. No, the main reason was that position was that it allowed him to stare unabashedly at Jack, letting him devour the Strike Commander with his eyes, gaze burning into his skin. Only it was a different heat, one that warmed and soothed, rather than burnt. There was hunger in the dark eyes when their gazes met for a moment, but Jack didn’t mind that hunger, not now.

    There had been a time when he’d thought that Gabriel was just like everyone else, interested in him because of his wings and nothing else. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had used him like that. And it had taken long months of dancing around on another, misunderstandings and mistakes before Jack had finally realised that Gabriel was different. That he wanted Jack Morrison…Not Strike Commander Morrison…Not the ‘Blue jay’…but simple, Indiana born Jack.

   Seeing that gaze and being reminded of the fact that he still had Gabriel, despite everything else that was happening and what everyone else wanted from him, grounded him, soothing the itch to release his wings and hide away from the world. If he could, he would have just grabbed the other man and left the meeting right there and then, wanting…needing…to just be Jack for a little while, but there were other eyes locked on him, eyes that were beginning to narrow as they realised that he wasn’t as focused as normal and the itch returns. It’s a struggle but he forces himself to turn back and focus on the meeting, on the people who are looking at him and only seeing the blue, straightening with a frown as he tries to remember how to play the role of Strike Commander, telling himself that he can play the role a little longer, that he has to.

     Yet he can’t stop his eyes from darting to Gabriel one more time, unable to hide his longing, his need, even though he knows that it’s a dangerous risk in a meeting like this. Gabriel meets his gaze without hesitation though, as uncaring as ever about what the UN or public would think about him, about them, but Jack knows that he won’t do anything to put him in an awkward position. _Soon_ , Gabriel’s expression promises instead and there’s a quiver of anticipation in Jack’s stomach as he turns back to the meeting.

_Soon…_

    It seemed to take forever to finish going through all the reports, the meeting dragging on far longer than it should, and he knew that it was on purpose, that the others were goading him, waiting for him to fall apart. No, he knew that they were waiting to glimpse his wings after he had accidently revealed them a few weeks ago, in another meeting that had got too heated, his tightly held control having finally shattered in devastating fashion.

     The only bright spot of the entire meeting had been Gabriel getting commended for his work on Blackwatch’s latest mission and their improved performance in the last couple of months, the older man’s eyes brightening for a moment at the acknowledgement. Acknowledgement that is too rarely given, and Jack had cling to that image as things had slowly begun to wind down. He let the farewells, the expectations wash over him, trying to ignore the growing itch in his shoulders…tried and failed, because the feeling was intensifying. There had been plenty of times, especially recently that he had wished that he didn’t have this job, but right now the feeling was stronger than it had ever been, a weariness or maybe a reluctance that he hadn’t experienced until recently pressing in on him as the room finally began to empty around him. He could feel his wings shifting under the surface, begging to be released and he knew that he wouldn’t be able to hold them back much longer. _Soon,_ he told them and hoped that it would be enough.

_Soon._

    The moment the last of the officials were out of the door he sat forward with a sigh, slowly beginning to shrug off the heavy coat, the pressure on his shoulders reaching an unbearable point and he was barely aware of Gabriel closing the door and moving across to him as he dropped the coat to the side before he buried his head in his hands. It was only when gentle fingers began to massage his shoulders, skilfully finding the knots and the patches of skin that itched the worst without Jack having to say a word, that he realised that Gabriel was there. It was all he could do was moan appreciatively, tilting his head up to meet Gabe as he leant down to kiss him and melting into the gentle kiss with a sigh.

“Gabe…” There is so much more that he wanted to say, that he needed to say, feeling as though something was about to give. The single word a whispered plea, a ‘thank you’ and an ‘I love you’, words that neither of them dared to say aloud outside the safety of their quarters just yet. However, he knew that he didn’t need the words, that Gabriel understood everything he couldn’t say, their lips meeting briefly once more before the fingers massaging his shoulders disappeared as Gabe stepped back and instead held out a hand.

“Come on.” _Trust me,_ Jack can hear the unspoken words behind the order, the softness beneath the strong words and he smiled. He can still remember that first night, the first time he had truly let Gabriel past the barriers he had built up over the years to protect himself. Gabriel had held his hand out in the same way, eyes soft, willing to wait as long as it took for Jack to reach out for him, to trust him. Back then he had hesitated, still wary, but now there was no hesitation as he reached out and let Gabriel pull him to his feet, their fingers twining together briefly, and they stay tangled together until they reached the door where they reluctantly split apart. Not that it changed the fact that to the knowing eye they were still too close as they stepped out into the corridor, Gabriel hovering, protective and possessive as he herded Jack towards the safety and privacy of Gabriel’s rooms.

**

   It felt like coming home when he stepped into Gabriel’s room less than ten minutes later. He’s probably spent more nights in here than in his own room over the last few months and it shows. The Strike Commander rooms are larger, but empty, nothing but minimal furniture and a minimum number of belongings scattered around, just enough to pretend that he’s still using them, occasionally at least. Whereas Gabriel’s room was gradually becoming more cluttered with a random assortment of both of their belongings, and Jack smiled at the sight, noting his clothes piled at the side and the book he had been reading placed neatly on the bedside table. _Home_. Just that is enough to relieve some of the weight on his shoulders, but it’s the sound of the door clicking shut behind him a moment before warm arms slide around his waist, tugging him backwards against a solid chest. It’s the best thing he’s felt all day, especially when he realises that Gabriel is peppering his shoulders with light kisses, and whilst the sensation is softened by his shirt which is still in the way he arches into it with a contented hum.

“Gabe…please,” he didn’t mean for the plea to slip out, not just yet, but he doesn’t take it back even when Gabriel chuckles, the sound warm and soft against his ear, kissing the side of his neck before pulling back. The sudden loss of warmth makes Jack whine and he tilts his head to look at Gabriel, torn between irritation and need, although the former threatens to win out for a moment when Gabe smirks at him. Instead he feels flustered, recognizing the expression and what it means, and he finds himself shifting nervously, still unsure after all this time, especially after an afternoon spent under the scrutiny of unwelcome gazes and it must show in his expression, because Gabriel’s softens, and he closes the distance between them once more.

“Easy Jack.” His voice is soft, gun-calloused fingers caressing Jack’s face as he leans in to capture his lips, just a gentle pressure, the barest meeting of lips. The gentleness and the devotion that he can see in the dark eyes, is too much at the moment and Jack is horrified to find himself blinking back tears as Gabriel slowly, cautiously deepens the kiss. He’s vaguely aware that he’s trembling as he reaches up to grip Gabriel’s back, fingers finding the small ridges that mark where his wings lie, caressing the spot for a moment before moving upwards, brushing tentatively against the raised mark he had left nearly a month ago, and feeling Gabriel shiver at the touch before growling warningly against his lips, reinforcing the word with a gentle nip. “Jack…”

   It’s a dare and they both know it, and Jack only hesitates for the briefest second before running his fingers over the mark once more, yelping when Gabriel jerks at the sensation, accidentally biting down hard on his lip. There’s an apology in his eyes when he pulls back, running a finger over the abused lip before leaning in to kiss Jack again, chaste and tender once more, but that’s not what Jack wants right now and they both know it, and Gabriel doesn’t fight when he’s pushed away so that Jack can fumble clumsily with his shirt.

   Instead he takes the opportunity to shed his own, cursing under his breath as the body armour that he still wears even in the safety of the base makes the task more difficult than it needs to be, and sighing in relief when it finally falls away. The shirt follows and he’s standing there bare-chested, and smiling with anticipation, an expression that disappears when he glances up at Jack. His breath catches for a moment as it always does to see Jack stood there shirtless in a room that is essentially there’s now, in their home, and he takes a moment just to study his partner. Eyes roving across the pale skin, lingering on scars and freckles, little marks that he knows so well, before his gaze comes to rest on the mark just above Jack’s heart. His mark. It still surprises him to see it, to know that he had managed to earn Jack’s trust so completely, and his expression softens further as he lifts his gaze, taking in the tense shoulders, before meeting uncertain blue eyes. He wants to growl, hating that Jack who had been smiling and bold a moment before, is retreating right in front of his eyes.

    He hates that he knows why, and that for all his skill and influence, he can’t protect Jack from the stares of others. He can’t take the fact that he’s a ‘Blue Jay’ and bury it along with everything else he has hidden away. No, he can’t shield him from that, but he can make sure that he doesn’t face it alone and he can give him this place, this space where there is just the two of them and where just for a little while he is safe to be himself.

“Show me, Mi Sol.” It comes out as an order, but they both know it isn’t. It’s a plea, a plea for Jack to trust him and to keep trusting, a plea for Jack to let him in, to let him help and Jack nods, shy and hesitant in a way that no one else is allowed to see before closing his eyes. It’s a moment before anything happens, fear playing across Jack’s face before there’s a familiar rustling sound, Gabriel’s mouth falling open at the sight of Jack’s wings slowly emerging behind him.

   It’s at moments like this that he almost understands why people are so obsessed with Jack’s wings, breath catching as the light catches the feathers, turning the pale, blue wings the colour of a sun-soaked sky. Almost, because as beautiful as Jack’s wings are, and as rare as they are, in his eyes at least they pale in comparison to Jack himself, especially the wide, blue eyes that are watching him, always watching, still waiting for him to slip up and show that he’s just like the others. He would be offended, but he can see the fear in Jack’s eyes and he’s held the other man through too many nightmares and sleepless nights, heard him whispering in a broken voice that he wished that he had been born a cursed ‘Blackbird,’ that he had been anything but a ‘Blue Jay.’ Instead he moves forwards, his own wings emerging so that when he reaches Jack, he can engulf him in both his arms and wings, shielding him from everything and drawing him close. “Beautiful,” he murmurs, kissing Jack, letting their wings brush together and shivering at the sensation.

    Jack remains still and uncertain for a couple of minutes longer, a soft, breathless noise the first hint that Gabriel has that he’s beginning to relax, and he smiles when it is followed by Jack’s arms snaking around him to return the hug. They remain like that for a while, Gabriel moving to rest his head against Jack’s shoulder, murmuring soft words and nonsense in his ear, alternating between languages as Jack slowly melts against him and taking the opportunity to admire how their wings look together. His downy white against Jack’s soft blue, and he can’t resist reaching out and running his fingers through Jack’s feathers, the younger man leaning into the sensation, and Gabriel feels more than hears the soft noise as Jack’s head falls against him.

“Thank you…” It’s barely audible, warm breath ghosting against his skin and he smiles, because although he’s quiet, it’s his Jack that’s speaking. The last bit of tension easing from him as he leans into Gabriel, lifting his head to stare at him with bright eyes and a warm smile, wings pressing against Gabriel’s as he leant up to kiss Gabriel. “Thank you…” Gabriel shakes his head, returning the kiss with a smile, before letting his hand move up to rest against the mating mark on Jack’s chest.

"Always, Mi Sol. Always."


End file.
